My Baby Blonde
by Eliniei
Summary: Based off of the movie, The Outsiders, in an alternative universe where Johnny and Dallas are alive, Bob Sheldon's younger cousin comes back into town after being away for months to deal with her recent past. She's back to seek forgiveness from herself, and others, redemption, and love. Original idea by Emolichic1.
1. Chapter 1

(A/N: Hello everyone! I'm back with a new story to tell :3 Of course, I will continue to work on my sequel to _Raelee_, but I was approached a few days ago by another user, asking if I would write her story for her. I couldn't say no, it's an honor to think someone likes my writing this much XD. Of course, life is busy so I won't be able to update as often as I would like, but expect some nice things. This story had a pretty good idea behind it! All credit goes to Emolichic1, of course, since it was her idea.)

I slowly came to a stop outside of a run-down gas station in the east side of time. I could smell the lingering cigarette smoke through the open windows of my car. I opened the door and lifted myself out. The cool blue of the finish shone in the sunlight. After closing the door, gently, I leaned against the hood. I could now see the first glimpse of Dallas Winston I had ever seen. Cherry had told me all about this guy – tough and tuff. He looked towards me and I could feel myself shrinking under the intensity of his cold, hard eyes. It was as if he were seeing right through me. I quickly shifted my gaze to the small, dark kid, and instantly knew who he was. My eyes narrowed and I opened my mouth to utter a something, but Dallas moved his friend out of view. I think he could tell who I was.

I scoffed on the inside. Cherry was right. He was way over-protective. Just like I used to be.

My name is Ashley Ford. I am a younger cousin to Bob Sheldon.

Yeah, that's right. The guy Johnny Cade knifed in the park all those months ago. He was my cousin, and the only person I would ever consider family.

Before long, Soda Pop Curtis walked out from the garage. He looked happy as he held on to the blond in his arm. His grip on her was tight. After a long, silent moment, it seemed to sink in for everyone present.

_Sandy._

I blanched.

I had a crush on Soda. I still do. But, I used him. Plain and simple. By the time I realized I liked him, it was far too late and he had already made his moves on Sandy.

She looked over at me. I could tell that she saw something familiar in me, but couldn't quite place it.

It's true. I do look a lot different now than I did back then. Most of my hair was gone. My "family" was absolutely furious with me when I chopped it up to my shoulders. My eyes, though, are unchanged for the most part. But, they have become more wary. For now, they were safely hidden behind a pair of sunglasses.

I could feel her glowering at me.

It didn't last too long, though, when Steve came around the corner with Evie in tow. Sandy's eyes lifted to them and she smiled. Steve stopped short and Evie almost slammed her nose into his shoulder.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked, giving him a hard shove.

"Sandy's…back?" Evie looked towards the greaser boys. She crossed her arms.

"So, the bitch is back."

Sandy flinched at the word and dug her nails into Soda's shirt. Steve coughed and stood awkwardly.

It was then that Soda noticed me. And my car. He whistled, loudly.

"Mighty fine car you have there, miss. Is there something we can do for you?"

I smirked.

"Fill her up, please?"

He smiled that amazingly handsome smile at me and nodded.

For months I've been alone, wishing over and over that I could change the past.

But now, I am back, looking for redemption.

And nobody tells Ashley Ford, "No."


	2. Chapter 2

I'm a senior now. I enlisted back into the public high school and I still have one more year left.

_Sigh._

Bob was a senior, as well, before he was killed.

Cherry said that I shouldn't hold a grudge. Deep down, I know that she is right. What Bob did wasn't right, and Johnny was only acting in self-defense. But how would you feel when your favorite family member was knifed in the stomach and left for dead?

"Ashley Ford?"

I was pulled out of my thoughts when my attendance was taken.

"Present."

I took a quick survey of the room, looking for people I recognized. My eyes fell on him last. He was unmistakable, even more so now than ever. I was told that after he went into hiding, Johnny Cade rushed into a burning church to save some small children. A lit beam fell on top of him. Initially, they thought his back was broken but he regained use of everything. Unfortunately, though, he carries with him skin grafts from being severely burned. He still has a long road to walk in terms of recovery.

I guess he's suffered enough.

Really, it's a miracle he's even back in school already. I guess it pays to have friends like Dallas on your side.

My first day back was relatively painless.

People definitely recognized the name. It was harder to recognize the girl, though.

After school, I tossed my backpack into my blue Mustang. It was _his_ gift to me. At least I still have a small piece of him left. I ran my hand over the smooth metal. It was warm to the touch. I smiled, longingly.

After a few more days of driving back and forth to school, I stopped in at Soda's gas station again. Of course, I could go to one less out-of-the-way, but what fun is there in that?

This time, Sandy was not glued to his hip.

He made his way out to me, recognition in his face as he took in the car. I got out of the driver's side and noticed the sullen look on his face.

"I know you, don't I?" he asked me, wiping his hands on a dirty rag hanging from his pocket. My eyes widened behind the glasses and an obvious look of surprise spread across my face.

"You're her, aren't you?"

"I…"

"Ashley, what are you doing here?"

I froze. He actually did remember me. I mean, I knew he would remember what happened. I didn't know what I was thinking.

"I just thought I'd stop in and say hello, now that I am back in town."

He didn't smile. He filled my tank, silently, and as I handed my money over to him, he grabbed ahold of my hand, roughly.

"I don't think you should show your face in this part of town anymore."

"But I…"

"Please, just go."

_Damn._

I dropped back into my car and drove off.

"I blew it," I muttered to myself.

If only I had any idea of what my future held.


	3. Chapter 3

_That night, I was riding around with Bob and Randy. This was back when I wore skirts and long hair. I really was a prim and proper Soc. If Bob could see how I was now, I think he'd be disappointed, but he would laugh it off and tell me we were going to milkshakes. _

_We were on our way to go to a huge party on our side of time. It was down by the lake, as it always was. There would be a lot of beer. It wouldn't matter. If this even got into the papers, it would paint us as saints just because we were from rich families. I didn't care about that part._

_I'm not normally from around Tulsa. I grew up in a small city called Weatherford. I was definitely a good kid growing up, even though we weren't very rich. It wasn't until the "circumstance," as I like to call it, that I ended up moving in with my cousin and his parents, almost 5 hours away. We didn't really have a hood and a Soc problem. It was just a bunch of ordinary people. It was definitely a huge culture shock for me when I got here. I didn't understand the rules, and therefore I fell for someone who was on the wrong side of town._

_And the Soc's knew it, even if I didn't just yet._

_Especially Bob. He was like my brother, after all. Of course he didn't agree with my love choice. But, he wasn't going to stop me either._

_After a while of being in town, I wizened up. I realized how embarrassing it must be for Bobby; that I was crushing hard on a Greaser. I learned the rules. Then, I only had to make it look like I truly wanted to be a Soc. _

_Of course, it was fun. I found out I liked drinking. And the boys were definitely unlike any other, even though Soda definitely took the trophy._

_I had thought for a long while that he really did like me. We hung out together quite often. I had met his younger and older brother, but not his friends. He wasn't embarrassed or anything, it just never happened. But then, I decided to stay away from the sake of my cousin's reputation. That's when the pretty blonde Sandy came into the picture and snatched him up for herself. _

_I was ridiculously jealous. And angry. And sad. I was a large ball of teenage hormones in the shape of a young socialite. _

_So, I did what any teenage girl would do._

_I got even. Well, I got what I thought was "even." Looking back it was just cruel, and it could have gotten quite a few people in a lot of trouble. Life-ruining trouble._

_Once we got to the party, I got hammered pretty quickly. Small girl; lots of alcohol. _

_I sought out one of Bob's friends. His name was Kent and he was smoking hot. Revenge hookup sounded amazing at the time._

_Most of them shunned me, even though they were afraid of my cousin. They really didn't like that I hung out on the poor side of town a lot._

_So I did the thing that I regret the most._

"_I just…need someone to talk to," I said, pretending to be a vulnerable little girl. "I feel…dirty."_

_Kent sat down with me along the shore, alone and away from all of the others. _

"_I made a huge mistake, Kent. Hanging out with those…hoodlums." _

"_Did they do something to you?"_

_I nodded, fake tears falling down my cheeks._

"_Now I know why they loved having me around so much," I sobbed. "I'm so ashamed I can't even tell Bobby."_

_I turned towards him, my nose starting to turn red. He wiped away the tears that were ruining my makeup._

"_I tried so hard to put up a brave front tonight but if I don't tell someone, I think that I might burst."_

"_Tell me," he said, gently._

"_Soda and some of his friends…they coaxed me into that vacant lot of theirs and had their ways with me, multiple times," I choked out. "I told them no, but they just wouldn't stop."_

"_Why didn't you go to the police?"_

"_I…I was scared and shaken up. I thought they might send their friends to come back for me if I squealed."_

_Kent pulled me into a warm hug. "It's alright now. We'll get you fixed up."_

_I don't know exactly what happened. They never did bother to call the cops because it would have been too late at that point. No tests, no witnesses. It was a relief, too, at the time because if they examined me they would have found that I was definitely still a virgin and my plan would have been foiled. I do know that Bob and Randy took the Mustang and beat the shit out of anyone they suspected was involved, including little Johnny Cade._

_It did get me what I wanted, though. I hooked up with Kent not long after and we dated for a few months._

I sat up, quickly, in the bed of my apartment. I could feel my eyes burning. I put a hand on my head, and smiled to myself.

"No wonder he hates me."


	4. Chapter 4

I looked through my closet with a sour look. There was nothing to wear. I still had a few dresses but mostly, I'd discarded them and went for a more normal look- jeans and t-shirts. In this town that's typical greaser guy look. But back home, it was pretty weird not to see people walking around like that, no matter how rich or poor they were.

I slumped down on to my bed, trying to think of a way to talk to Soda again.

"Hmm," I thought out loud. "I wonder if I should just…go apologize?" I looked towards the nightstand. The phone was sitting on top. I still remembered his phone number.

I picked up the phone and dialed the number. It rang a few times and Darrel's voice came through from the other end.

"Hello?"

I hesitated for a split second.

"Hello?" he asked again.

"Oh, sorry. I was wondering if I could speak to Soda?"

"Uh, yeah, sure. May I asked who's calling?"

"Oh, uh…I'd rather not say."

He moved the phone away from his mouth, but I could hear him shout for his younger brother. I started to feel nervous. What if he said no?

"Yes, hello?"

"Soda…"

"Ashley? I thought I told you to stay away."

"Ashley Ford?" I could hear Darry asking in the background.

"No, I know. I'm really sorry to bother you at home. But, could you please meet me at park? I'd really like to…have a chat."

"I'm not so-"

"Please, I'll make it worth your while."

The line went silent.

"I promise."

"Fine. But be quick about it. I don't have all day."

I set the phone down and breathed a sigh of relief. First step: complete.

I threw some clothes on. I didn't really try to make myself look pretty. After pulling my short hair up into a ponytail, I rushed out the door and into my car. The sun had been beating down mercilessly on it all day, so it was extremely hot inside.

Soda hadn't made it to the park when I arrived, so I stopped and grabbed two cold bottles of Coke. I sat down on a bench and leaned back, sipping on the soda.

It was a good fifteen minutes before he arrived. I lifted my feet up and sat indian-style. He didn't look happy. It was really weird to see him so mad. Usually, he had that care-free, handsome smile on his face. I held the unopened bottle out to him and took a deep breath, wondering if he would take it. When he finally did, I relaxed a little.

"Well?" he asked, sitting down on the opposite side of the bench.

"Okay, I um…"

He stared right through me. It made me tense up again.

"I really just wanted to apologize, Soda."


	5. Chapter 5

The surprised look on his face told me that this wasn't what he expected.

"I-"

"You, what?" He asked, not believing what I said.

"I want to apologize for my actions."

He sat back against the bench, and looked away.

"Please believe me."

"Ashley, you could have ruined my entire life."

"I know, but-"

"If that had gone to the police, I would have been put away. Who was going to believe a greaser over a Soc?"

The knot in my stomach got tighter. All I could do was look down at my lap in shame. Of course my apology was genuine. I knew that. But I had lied in the past, so why should he believe me now?

"Do you know how bad you made everything for everyone?"

"Yes."

"Do you really, Ashley? Bob beat the shit out of me, out of Johnny, out of all of us."

I stiffened at the sound of my cousin's name.

"Johnny started carrying a switchblade because he was so scared."

I knew where this was going. Oh please, no.

"That switchblade was used to kill Bob, you know?"

I kept staring down. I felt a pain in my hands and realized I was holding the bottle too tightly. My eyes burned, and I tried so hard to hold back the tears.

"I…"

She could feel Soda relax a bit, next to her.

"I'm so sorry, Soda."

He sighed and looked down at the ground.

"I don't really expect you to forgive me. But, I'm trying to turn over a new leaf. This was not how I was brought up and no excuse I could make could ever redeem me. I came back to town because I wanted to try to fix what I had done. I know that I can't really 'fix' it, and that it will take some time but I can at least let you know that I was truly sorry. I just want to try to start over."

He sighed again and stood up.

"Look, I really need to get going to work. Steve's probably wondering where I am."

I nodded.

"But, I promise to think about what you've said."

I brightened up a little. "Really?"

He nodded as well.

"This doesn't make us friends, Ashley. I still don't want you hanging around me or my friends."

"O-of course."

"But, I will think about it."

Once he was gone, I felt a slight weight lift from my chest. I started heading back to my Mustang.

"That didn't go quite as planned, but it might have worked…"

Something still lingered, though. Was he right? Was I inadvertently the cause of Bobby's death? If I hadn't done any of this, would he still be alive right now?

I knew I couldn't allow myself to think like that. Everything happened for a reason. It wasn't my fault he ended up in the park that night, drowning a kid for walking is girl home. Right?

I shook the thought out of my head as I started the car.

_Don't think like that. It wasn't your fault._

I pulled out of the parking lot and headed back towards my apartment.

_I really hope Soda can forgive me._


End file.
